Fiber-Based Laser Transmitter Technology Maturation For Spectroscopic Measurements From Space

NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center has been developing lidar to remotely measure CO2 and CH4 in the Earth's atmosphere. We have advanced the tunable laser technology to enable high-fidelity measurements from space. In this paper, we will report on the progress of a fiber-based, 1.57-micron wavelength, laser transmitter that has demonstrated the optical performance required for a low earth orbiting instrument. The Laser transmitter has been packaged and is undergoing environmental testing to demonstrate its technology readiness for space.